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Saturday 24 October 2015

Fictionally Yours, Melbourne....A recap



Early on Friday 16th October 2015, my husband Michael and I boarded a plane for Melbourne, #FictionallyYoursMelbourne had finally arrived, I was about to catch up with some of my closest friends, meet some new amazing authors I'd only spoken to online, I was going to get my fangirl on after months of countdowns...


We arrived in Melbourne and met up with some of my faves for a few drinks and lunch at Merrywell, before we knew it the afternoon had passed us by and it was time to head to the event room to get tables set up ahead of a busy signing day on Saturday...


Saturday morning saw an early start, I was fortunate enough to be assisting one of my fave authors, and someone I'm lucky to be able to call a friend... Leisa Rayven absolutely stole my heart with her breakout debut Bad Romeo, she proved the dreaded sequel flop theory unequivocally wrong with the stunning follow up Broken Juliet, when I doubted she could top the emotional reaction I had to Bad Romeo Leisa cemented herself as an author I'll follow, Broken Juliet nabbed a PLATINUM LIPSTICK review from me and is sitting pretty in my top books of all time. Sitting with her, watching fans and readers interact with her, fangirling over Ethan and Cassie with them, and discussing our theories on Wicked Heart was both a joy and a pleasure. If I wasn't already a fan, I would of surely ended the day enamoured with her.


In the afternoon, after my assisting duties came to an end, I wandered the room and chatted with authors and readers alike.






Saturday night saw a quiet dinner to celebrate the lovely TJ Hamilton's birthday, Trish is one of the nicest, funniest, and most real people I have had the pleasure to meet since finding my way into the book community I'm now part of. Good food and wine, great friends, and many laughs later we sang happy birthday and gorged ourselves on delicious dessert.


Making our way to Bobby McGee's for one hell of an after party was next on our agenda, within seconds of entering we had glasses in our hands, 80s and 90s filled the room, it was definitely time to let your hair down and relax, celebrate what was undoubtedly a very successful signing, the dance floor was packed, lines of happy people waiting for their chance at photo booth shenanigans,  drinks to be drunk, hugs to be shared, toasts to be cheered, and most of an, an opportunity to revel in what an amazing industry this truly is.






Making our way back to the crown, we changed shoes and snuck into the casino for a night cap, we laughed at photo booth photos squirreled away in our clutches, we drank giant cocktails, and we wound down enough that we could regroup before round two the following day.

Sunday morning saw a quick breakfast before we we're ready for another full day. Doors opened and I was sitting next to one of my best friends, my husband refers to Carmen Jenner as my other spouse, often asking if I've checked with my wife before making decisions. I knew spending the day with this talented lady would be filled with laughs, selfies and conversing with readers. Listening to fans gush about this lady's writing always puts a smile on my face.


As the crowds died down, it was time for a few more selfies, before packing up for a bit of down  time.



It's inconceivable how much work goes into planning an event if you haven't been involved in one, from planning meetings, countless hours spent online chatting with your team, endless phone calls and emails, to Penny, Simone and Tina, congratulations on putting together an incredible event, to Angela, Tash, Trish and Erin, any leader or organiser knows that you're only as good as your team, your dedication to this event ensured it will be one that will live on in both readers and authors memories.

Sunday night saw a group of us converge in our hotel room for a few glasses of bubbles, before heading out of the crown for dinner, while we scared Monica & Ben with tales of drop bears and all of the creepy crawlies to steer clear of while visiting our beautiful country.


Monday morning came by way to quickly, after a relaxing breakfast and a stroll around Melbourne it was time to gather our bags and head to Tullamarine airport, a cider later we were boarding our plane, tired but happy, with memories that left smiles on our faces.




Until next time....



 

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for including me in your awesome recap. I managed to see my mug in a shot too. Xxxx

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  2. Thank you for including me in your awesome recap. I managed to see my mug in a shot too. Xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great pictures - jealous of your trip!!

    ReplyDelete